Independence Day!!!

Well, it ain't July 4th yet, so I must be referring to Yom HaAtzmaut!! Happy 62nd to Medinat Yisrael! We are truly a nation that appreciates our independence, and we show it by grilling as much food as we possibly can... Also fireworks, block partying, and daglanut - Ayelet and friends were GREAT!!!

Baking wise, I had some fun this year. Royal icing and I are becoming good friends, which I hope will lead to a productive relationship - readers, if things work out between us, you will be the first to know. I made decorated sugar cookies to celebrate the big event.

Here they are again, a little more mesudar, one of each design:I had an absolute blast making them, so I hope there will be more in my future!

I also made vanilla mini cupcakes, frosted two ways: chocolate fudge frosting with blue and white sprinkles, and blue and white swirled vanilla buttercream.

With some of the leftover blue royal icing, I made stars, let them dry, and perched them atop some of the blue and white cupcakes.It was a good learning experience, and don't they look precious - and kind of modern art-sy?!

Now that the holiday has passed, we are in the midst of the important period of time in the Jewish calendar called "the very few days of education before L'ag B'omer which are mostly consumed by the obsessive collecting of firewood." That will be followed in short order by "The close your windows up tight so the smoke smell doesn't get inside evening," "The day of laundry to wash out the stink of smoke," and then"The day of all haircuts," along with its sub-holiday, "Thank G-d he can finally shave day." Now I just have to find cookie flavors and designs to go along with these auspicious days.

Mazal tov to the millions of us living here, and to all of you who do not know what you are missing (y'know, besides the cookies)!

Dvora